House letter-box.



VIRGIL C. KOONS, OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO,

HOUSE LETTER-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed July 12,1906. Serial No. 325,877.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VIRGILC. KooNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Colorado Springs, El Paso county, State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in House Letter-Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in house letter boxes, and the objects and nature of my invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the structure shown in the accompanying drawings as an example, from among others, of a construction within the spirit and scope of my invention.

An object of the invention is to provide a house letter box with simple, efficient and improved lock actuating mechanism, whereby the door closing the mail egress opening of the box can be easily and conven iently released or opened by an authorized person within the house to the exterior of which the box is secured.

A further object of the invention is to provide certain improvements in arrangements, constructions, and combinations of parts, whereby a highly efficient, low priced, and simple house letter box will be produced of the type wherein the fastening or lock mechanism is operative from within the building to the exterior of which the letter box is secured.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure l, is a perspective view of'a letter box of my invention, dotted lines indicating the door or drop bottom, in open position. Fig. 2, is a vertical section, dotted lines showing the door in open position. Fig. 3, is a vertical section taken in the plane of the line 3-3, Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5, are detail perspective views showing modified arrangements.

In the drawings, 1, is a letter box adapted to be secured to the exterior of a house, for instance to the outer face of a door or wall. This box can be suitably constructed of sheet metal with a top letter ingress opening 2.

1n the construction of Fig. 1, I show the box with a closed stationary floor 3, and with an opening at the lower portion of the front thereof and the full width between the side walls and extending from the lower edge of the front wall 4 .to the front edge of the stationary floor 3.

5 is a vertically movable swinging gravity drop bottom or door forming the bottom of the box and arranged above the floor 3, and at its rear longitudinal edge hinged or pivotally joined thereto to swing vertically between the floor 3 and the lower edge of front Wall 4;

The side edges of said drop bottom are preferably turned up to form the flanges 6, fitting the inner faces of the box side walls to serve as guards to retain the mail on the bottom and prevent the same catching between the bottom and box side walls. The front end of said drop bottom is also extended vertically or formed with a longitudinal vertical flange 7, to fit the outer face of the lower end of the box front wall 4, and beneath the water deflecting or guard and stop flange 8. When the drop bottom is in its elevated closed position, it ex tends forwardly and upwardly at an inclination from the rear end of stationary floor 3, to thelower end of box front wall 4, thereby closing the mail egress open ing of the box and forming the bottom of the box. When the front free end of the drop bottom is released, said bottom drops by gravity onto the stationary floor 3, resting thereon in a horizontal position with its front end projecting forwardly therefrom, thereby opening the lower portion of the box front and exposing the mail on the drop bottom in a very convenient position for removal; the bottom in effect serving as a tray supporting the mail.

In connection with a lock or latch mechanism for the door or drop bottom, I usually provide said bottom with a rigid loop keeper 9, projecting inwardly from the inner face of front upwardly extending flange 7 of the bottom. Suitable locking and release mechanisms are provided for said drop bottom, preferably operative from within a house to the exterior of which the box is secured.

10, is a door or wall of a house against the outer face of which the rear wall of the box {its and to which the box is rigidly secured by any suitable means, and at the inner face of which, that is within the house, is accessible means whereby the latch or lock can be operated to release the drop bottom so that the same can drop by gravity to open position.

11, is a vertically swinging horizontally disposed lever arranged within the box behind the front wall 4, thereof and above the lower edge thereof and the drop bottom and at its inner end in the vertical plane of the keeper 9, provided with a depending bolt 12. The inner end of the lever is usually bent down about at right angles to the length of the lever to form the locking end or bolt 12, so that the entire lever forms a latch. The front face of the end 12, is beveled upwardly so that as the drop bottom is raised the top edge of the keeper will engage said beveled face and swing the lever to raise end 12, and permit the keeper to slip past the same, whereupon the lever drops to normal position and end 12, drops into the keeper, thereby automatically locking said bottom in closed position.

'The lever 11, is fulcrumed between its ends on a horizontal pin, or stud 13, and a suitable spring, such as 14, is preferably attached to the lever to yieldingly hold the same in its normal locking position and against a suitable stop 15. From its inner end 12, the lever extends behind the box front wall approximately to one of the front corners of the box so that the free outer end of the lever is closely adjacent the inner angle formed by junction of a side and the front wall. A suitable device is provided for depressing said free end of the lever for the purpose of raising the locking end thereof to release the drop bottom. For instance, I show a vertically arranged angle lever 16, at the inner face of a side wall of the box and fulcrumed at its angle on a stud or pin 17. This angle lever has a forwardly extending horizontal arm extending over and resting on the free end of the latch or locking lever, and a depending vertical arm. 18, is a pull rod or connection at its front end loosely coupled to the lower end of the vertical arm of said angle lever and from thence extending rearwardly through the box along the side wall thereof, and loosely through a perforation in the box rear wall and an opening through the door or house wall to an accessible point within the house. The rear end of said pull connection within the house at the inner face of the house door or wall, is provided with a suitable handle 19, such as a loop, button or the like. It is hence obvious that when a person within the house pulls inwardly on the connection 18, the angle lever will be thereby rocked vertically, moving its horizontal arm downwardly and depressing the free end of the locking lever and raising its locking end from the door or bottom keeper, thereby releasing said bottom and permitting the same to drop onto lloor 3, exposing the mail for removal through the front box opening.

If so desired, the angle lever, and locking lever with the fulcrums, spring and stops for said levers, can all be carried by an angle plate 20, secured within the angle of the box and fitting the front and side walls thereof. Said plate can also be provided with suitable confining guides for said levers if so desired.

It so desired, I can employ my locking andreleasing mechanism, in connection with an ordinary outwardly swinging front door 21, (see Fig. i) hinged at one vertical edge to the front wall beside a front mail egress opening in said wall, and provided with a spring for opening the same. Such a door is provided at the inner face of its free end with a keeper 22, open at the top, so that the straight locking end of a locking lever 11, can swing vertically to and from the space between said keeper and the inner face of the door to lock or release the door. The lower edge of the locking end of the lever will be beveled to engage the upper end of the keeper, as the door is forced closed for the purpose of swinging the lever to automatically lock the door.

If desired, (see Fig. 5) the vertical end of the angle lever can project upwardly, and in that event, a push rod 24, will be coupled thereto and extend rearwardly to the inner face of the house wall and be there pro vided with a push button, Outward longitudinal movement of the push rod Will, hence swing the angle lever to release the locking lever from the door. A push rod might also be employed where the latch or lever, or both, are otherwise arranged.

It is evident that various changes and modifications might be resorted to within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact constructions disclosed.

What I claim is l. A house letter box having a gravity drop bottom with an upturned outer free end provided with a keeper at its inner face and adapted to close against the lower end of a vertical wall of the box, in combination with a latch behind said wall and adapted to engage said keeper to lock the bottom in elevated closed position, and operat ing mechanism for the keeper and to extend to an accessible point within a house to the exterior oi? which said box is secured.

2. In combination, in a house letter box having a mail egress opening, a movable door to close said opening, spring impelled locking mechanism for said door arranged entirely within the box and comprising an elbow lever arranged at the inner surface of the box, and a manually actuated longitudinally reciprocatory operating connection for swinging said elbow lever and extending from a point within the box to the exterior thereof and adapted to extend to an accessible point within a house at the exterior of which said box is arranged.

3. In combination, in a house letter box, movable means to close the letter egress opening from the box, a swinging spring actuated latch within the box to lock said means in closed position, an angle lever within the box and adapted to swing said latch to release said means, and a longitudinally reciprocatory actuating connection for said angle lever extending rearwardly therefrom within the box and adapted to extend to and be operated from an accessible point within the house.

4. In combination, in a house letter box, a movable closure adapted to close the letter egress opening from the box and provided with a keeper, a look within the box adapted to engage said keeper to lock said closure in closed position, an angle lever arranged within the box for operating the lock to release said closure, and a longitudinally reciprocating connection coupled to one arm of said lever and extending rearwardly from the box and adapted to extend to and be reciprocated from an accessihle point within the house.

In combination, in a house letter box, a movable closure adapted to close the letter egress opening of the box, a swinging latch within the box adapted to lock said closure in closed position, an angle lever within the box adapted to engage said latch to swing the same to release said closure, and a pull connection coupled to said lever and adapted to extend to and be operated from an accessible point within the house.

(i. A house letter box having a drop bottom at its inner end hinged approximately at'the adjacent vertical wall of the box, said bottom when closed forming the letter receiving floor of the box and extending outwardly and upwardly with its free end meeting the lower end of an outer wall of the box, means supporting said bottom in open about horizontal position, said bottom formed with an upwardly extending front edge flange, and means behind the box front wall for locking said bottom in closed position.

7. A house letter box having a letter egress opening in a vertical wall thereof, a movable door to close said opening and provided with an inwardly projecting keeper, a' lock mechanism arranged entirely within the box for locking said door and comprising a bolt arranged behind said vertical wall to engage said keeper and a swinging elbow lever arranged beside the adjacent side wall and having a vertically disposed arm, and a manually actuated longitudinally movable connection acting on said arm to rock said lever and arranged within said box at the inner face of said side wall, and extending through the rear wall of the box to an accessible point at the exterior of said box.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

VIRGIL C. KOONS.

Witnesses JOHN MoFFAT'r, J. C. SPrcnn. 

